Summer & Fall 2019 Mother Culture...

I was looking back at old posts and realized, I didn't share my summer reading list so I will include progress here in this post along with the fall list. Click here to see where I left off in spring.

Summer Mother Culture

Upon reflection, I actually read quite a bit this summer all things considered. Reading in community is a big push for me. I love the accountability it brings, as well as the camaraderie. I find I am most productive when reading with a group.

Here's what I read this summer....

CM Study Group

I finished A Practical Guide to Culture by Stonestreet and Kunkle in August with my CM Study Group. There were a few nuggets in this book, particularly if you are a media friendly family, and maybe more so if you are involved in public school. However, some parts felt like preaching to the choir because sadly I'm not sure those that need to hear the message are the ones picking up the book. Stonestreet and Kunkle do tackle some difficult cultural issues such as pornography, sexual orientation, gender identity, and entertainment from a biblical perspective.

There is a rhythm to the chapters so each is written in the same format, beginning with introduction, followed by bullet points or numbered action points, and closing with a review. This makes A Practical Guide to Culture an easy read, as it's in an understandable format. There are also study guide questions at the end of each chapter, which makes it a great book club or study group book.

Overall, I did quite a bit of underlining in the book and will use it for a quick reference if needed. I would most likely not read the book a second time, but would recommend it to those looking for ways to glean ideas on handling the cultural pressures on our kids today.

Convivial Circle

In June, I finished reading Beauty in the Word by Stratford Caldecott, in an effort to facilitate an online study group at Convivial Circle. I was really excited to finally read this book that had been on my list for some time. I've heard Andrew Kern, Martin Cothran, and Cindy Rollins all mention it at some point. Honestly, the book started really strong, but lagged for me toward the end. I don't know that Caldecott ever closed the circle in my mind. I was left wondering about a few points he brought up, but never finalized.

Overall, it was worthy in spite of being very philosophical. Maybe a second reading would better enlighten me. I would like to blog more about this book in the future.

Read Along

The kids, Steve, my father, and I set out to read The Pearl by John Steinbeck in August. We enjoyed our True Grit study so much that we wanted to continue. I believe dad, Riley, and possibly Steve finished, but Ruben and I did not. It's still on my nightstand and I aim to get back at it this winter.

Summer Schole Sisters

It's always so hard to see summer end, but I am left this year with extremely fond memories of reading Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset with my Summer Schole Sisters. Undset's trilogy had also been on my want to read list for some time...maybe since I first heard Wes Callihan mention it on a Schole Sisters podcast back in Episode 14. I have been thinking about Kristin periodically since finishing the book.

Kristin Lavransdatter is set in Medieval Norway. It is the story of a life beginning with Kristin as a young girl and ending with her death as a woman, wife, and mother of eight sons. I must confess, I was not hooked after Part I, The Wreath. Instead, I was actually annoyed by the ignorant ways of young lovers. However, Part II, The Wife persuaded me and Part III, The Cross, totally sealed the deal!! I can't recommend this book enough and will definitely read it again at some point.

Fall Mother Culture

CM Study Group

Our CM Study Group has moved on to When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy Today edited by Elaine Cooper. It's a series of essays from various educators contemplating the importance of a Charlotte Mason education and how to apply it one hundred years later. It's an older book, published in 2004, but certainly still relevant.

High School Book Club

Riley and I are starting a High School Book Club this year. It's a spin off of the High School Community I facilitated last year. However, we will simply read and discuss classic works this year at Riley's request and not include composition, current events, Shakespeare, and recitation. Our High School Community was fabulous, but a lot of work. Other members agreed and were not able to continue in the same format this year. This book club will follow more closely to the Middle School Socratic Book Clubs that I led a few years ago.

Riley was instrumental in choosing the five titles we will read. The two fall books are: The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I'll save the winter reads for another post.

My fall list is short, but plentiful. I have many other books on my nightstand. However, with the Journey: An Education for Life retreat not too far off, I'm not adding any others until winter. I will actually be speaking about Mother Culture and my reading habits at this year's retreat!

Spring 2019 Mother Culture...

The calendar says spring, but it really hasn't felt like it yet here in Wisconsin. We've had really cold, wet weather and we're about two weeks behind as far as the growing season. That's not great for the farm, but it's been good for my literary life, as I've continued to pluck away at my reading indoors. You can see my winter reading list here. Today, I'm going to share an update on past reading and show you my current book list.

CM Study Group

In March, we finished reading The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis. We also read the section on C.S. Lewis from The Great Tradition by Richard M. Gamble. In April, we discussed The Lost Tools of Learning by Dorothy Sayers. That was a re-read for me, but much more interesting the second time around. I will be posting more on that in the future.

In May, we began discussing A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle. There are four parts so we will discuss a different part each month over late spring and into summer. I am also discussing this through Voxer with a couple gals I met on the Schole Sistership. I believe very strongly in reading in community. If there is no one in your area, technology has made it amazingly easy to find someone online.

Convivial Circle

I didn't finish Discipline: The Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot, which was on my winter reading list, but will pick it up again at some point in the future. I did, however, read Finish by Jon Acuff earlier this year, which is a current book being studied at Convivial Circle.

I am also leading a study on Beauty in the Word by Stratford Caldecott at Convivial Circle, which is amazing so far! I will be blogging on that in the future.

High School Community

Our High School Community concluded in March, but I did finish reading Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens at that time. Both of which are excellent!

Read Along

Riley, Ruben, Steve, my dad, and I all finished reading True Grit by Charles Portis in April. It was such a fun study! When we were finished reading and discussing, we watched both the 1969 and 2010 True Grit movies. Reading along with family is another great way of reading in community. Create your own family book club!

Schole Sistership

I have joined a group of women being led by Cindy Rollins through a reading of Seeking God by Esther De Waal and The Rule of St. Benedict. However, I haven't started reading yet. I do aim to over the next couple of weeks as we are just finishing up school this week, which will afford me more time.

Literary Life

If you haven't joined Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford on their Literary Life journey, you should! They've started a podcast that explores all aspects of life cultivated by books and stories. I listened to the first episode and loved it! They are currently hosting a study of Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers, which is also on my list to be read. My only Sayers' read thus far was The Lost Tools of Learning mentioned above. I have heard a great deal about her mystery stories and can't wait to get started.

Summer Schole Sisters

Lastly, I will facilitate discussion locally as we read through Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset beginning this spring and running into summer. We will study Book I for June, Book II for July, and Book III in August. I'm nearly done reading Book I, The Wreath and am really looking forward to our June 2nd discussion! I love this summer group!

You may remember in past summers, we studied Anna Karenina, The Grapes of Wrath, and Les Miserables. We meet at a local restaurant one Sunday evening a month over the summer (typically June-August) to discuss our read. Several women in the area were asking to continue the gatherings this year. This will be our third summer and hopefully, we can continue for many more!

What's included in your spring reading list? Please share in the comments below...

Winter 2018-2019 Mother Culture

Following up from my Fall 2018 Mother Culture list, here is the Winter list...

CM Study Group

We finished reading Know and Tell: The Art of Narration by Karen Glass in December and will begin discussing the following two books in January...

The Great Tradition by Richard M. Gamble - We are just reading the first sections on Plato for Jan. Then we will see the overall feeling of the group to determine if and how to proceed.

The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis - This looks to be a quick read, albeit, I've heard it's dense. We are reading the first chapter for Jan and again, will determine future reading from there, but there are three chapters and I would suspect we will do a chapter a month.

Convivial Circle 

Convivial Circle was started by Mysie Winckler of simplyconvivial.com. According to the site, "It is a community of women, checking in on their specific, homemaking & family management goals with each other, celebrating the small wins and cheering each other on in the midst of the mundane." I met Mystie a few years back online. We then did a homeschool planning chat together in 2016 and finally got to meet in real life at GHC last April 2018. I joined the Circle shortly after that time. I'm excited about the 2019 book club suggestions there and plan to participate in the Jan/Feb discussion by reading....

Discipline: The Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot - I will read and discuss according to the Circle calendar.

High School Community

I finished The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, as well as, Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, from the first semester, but I'm still working through The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. I'm about half way finished and plan to continue because all the students greatly enjoyed the story. We also read A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare in community throughout the first semester.

For our second semester, which falls in my Winter Term, we will read the following two books....

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

We will also read Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare throughout the semester in community.

Read Along

I'm still working through The History of the American People by Paul Johnson and The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni with RileyAnn. I was set to begin John Adams by David McCullough after Thanksgiving, but unfortunately, with the holidays and Ruben's accident, I haven't gotten to it. It's still on my to-be-read list though.

What does your Winter reading list look like? Please share in the comments below.

Schole Sisters - Les Miserables...

You may remember this past summer I was planning to read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo with my Summer Schole Sisters. I've been waiting to post a review until now because I was going to attend the Broadway musical Les Miserables and I wanted to compare and contrast the two. This weekend, I had the privilege of seeing the musical, but first, let's back up to the book read last summer.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo was originally published in 1862 in French. There are several good English translations, of which, you can compare here. I personally, ordered each translation from the library and read the same excerpt from each book before settling on the Norman Denny translation as my reading copy. I did so because I liked the readability of it, as well as the fact that Denny maintained much of Hugo's original work. He did move a couple lengthy passages to the back of the book, but they were still there if one chose to go read them.

I did also buy the Isabel Hapgood translation because it matches the Librivox audio and the C. E. Wilbour translation because it was the first English translation and was written only one year after Hugo's original publication. A couple of moms in our group chose the Julie Rose translation and loved the extensive end notes in that edition. I plan to go back and re-read Les Mis in a different translation at some point. Either way, I would encourage you to find an unabridged version regardless of translation.

Once I began reading Les Mis, I met with my Summer Schole Sisters five times from June through August to discuss it. We broke up assigned reading by volumes, meeting after each of the five volumes. There were six regular attenders in addition to myself, which made for great discussion. All of which were home educating moms, with the exception of one grandma. It was awesome to have that perspective in our group!

Les Miserables is set in the first half of 19th Century France after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. Hugo's novel shows the social injustice of the people and the long term effects of the French Revolution on it's society. In Andrew Pudewa's talk on Fairy Tales and Moral Immagination, he judges stories in four categories. The second being "Healing Stories". I would qualify Les Mis as a healing story, in which good is good, bad is bad, good does not always win, but grace prevails. It is the story of redemption, love, loss, grace, and forgiveness.

Hugo's beautiful and unforgettable characters have incredible depth. It's hard for me to pick a favorite. Jean Valjean would most likely be at the top, as the evolution of his faith was paramount to the story. Fantine was a close second for me. As a mother, my heart ached for her and I felt like she was a child herself in such an unfortunate circumstance. She unselfishly gave everything she had to provide for her daughter, which cost her life. Then of course, the Bishop of Digne, Gavroche, and Cosette were right up there. I even fell for Eponine. I felt her character was redeemed when she handed Cosette's letter over to Marius upon her death.

There is a great deal of French history and politics in Les Mis, making it a wonderful high school read for that time period. One can also learn about the 200 year old sewer system of Paris, which is now open for tour in our modern day. In addition, the reader sees examples of good vs. evil character and romantic vs. familial love. The question of justice was a constant conversation in our book discussion. Can one ever overcome their criminal past? Les Mis has several subplots, which is part of what makes it so rich.

Regarding the musical Les Miserables, many of the subplots and depth of characters mentioned are missed on stage. I did enjoy the music immensely, but I was feeling sorry for those that had not read the novel because I don't think one can get the full understanding without that written knowledge. Also, the musical's vulgar language and sexual innuendos are not included in the book. It's unfortunate if the musical is your only experience with Les Mis because it diminishes Hugo's christian side of the story and the whole redemptive point of the book. On the other hand, the set and costuming in the Broadway Les Miserables were phenomenal. In addition, it was a bonus to me that almost every character looked as I envisioned.

Overall, I LOVED Les Miserables! I highly recommend everyone read it. As stated, the musical is good as well, but please read the book first. Or, if you've already seen the musical, do yourself a favor and go back and read Hugo's intended story. It is lengthy, but oh so worthy. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Fall 2018 Mother Culture...

I've decided to start a new series of blogs about my personal reading and Mother Culture. This is not entirely new as I have posted my reading lists in fits and spurts in the past, but now, I would like to make it a regular part of this blog. If you're a recurrent reader, you may remember my Summer Mother Culture and Schole list back in June. I did finish Les Miserables and The Liberal Arts Tradition and will do a follow-up post on each book in the near future. Unfortunately, I did not finish Westward Ho!, but still hope to find time this winter. I will continue to read from Charlotte Mason's volumes as they are an ongoing project that I draw from on a regular basis.

The plan going forward is to share quarterly lists and progress, most likely aligning with the seasons. These posts are not meant to show off or make you feel less adequate if you are not reading. Instead, I aspire to inspire and demonstrate how this busy mom makes time to read. I feel mother's reading is as important to your child's education as mother reading directly to child. My hope is to give ideas and encourage you in your reading journey.

With that said, here are is my fall list....

CM Study Group

Know and Tell: The Art of Narration by Karen Glass - 2 chapters per month for group discussion

High School Community

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - started in Aug for discussion in late Sept.

Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving - short stories, finished for Oct 26th discussion

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper - will attempt to read throughout Nov for end of the month discussion

Read Along

The History of the American People by Paul Johnson - very slow read over the course of three years alongside RileyAnn, approx. 4-6 pages a week

The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni - 1-3 chapters weekly over 18 weeks (I am slightly behind my daughter, but not worried about catching up now that the weather has turned colder.)

You may notice that I like to read with people and read very little by myself. I do this for accountability. The books I read are for myself, but I like to have others to discuss and share ideas with. I believe this is part of schole. For this reason, I read books with groups. This may be as little as one other person, like the read alongs I do with my kids. However, there is still accountability.

What are you reading? I would love to see your lists in the comments below!

How I Started a High School Community

When I think back on the social life and times of my two high school graduates, one through public school and one through homeschool, I see pros and cons of each. As I look ahead to high school again, I want to attempt to remedy one major con we experienced. The con of public school affording too loose of structure with peers and not enough constructive adult interaction. And, on the other hand, homeschool affording too much parent only structure and not enough constructive peer interaction. It is my experience that both situations can lead to unbalanced adults. With my rising high schoolers, I endeavored to find a happy medium.

There are many opportunities in my area for home educated high school socialization from co-op courses to sports. There are also a few clubs and organizations one could get involved with. However, everything has a price and because we live rural, it usually involves quite a bit of travel, which makes those opportunities cost prohibitive. After much thought, I realized that I personally have always loved book clubs and got a great deal of socialization from them. Having a book to discuss gives the group something in common right from the start and usually opens up a whole gamut of other conversations. Some of which, have developed into great friendships and relationships. And, usually book clubs are of little or no cost once you obtain the book. Hence, I decided to put together a free high school community for home educated students to come together to discuss great books and ideas, which to my knowledge, is not something that exists in my community.

It's a project I've been working on since last spring. Initially, I put a post out on our local homeschool forum gauging interest in a high school community. I immediately received over a dozen responses. From there, parents gathered to brainstorm what the community might look like. I did research ahead of time and presented a couple models to draw ideas from. I also shared some of my potential concerns and expectations of what a community of this nature should and should not be.

I wanted the community to be parent led, meaning each family with a student participant must have an adult participant. I like this idea for a few reasons. Namely, to keep cost down and save time. As home educators, we are all busy and often living on one income. If one person has to coordinate and teach all subjects, it gets to be a lot of time and energy for that one person and they should be compensated. However, if each family has an adult willing to organize one subject of study, we will all be working together for the greater good of the community. It's a divide and conquer mentality. We split up the tasks to lighten everyone's load. 

I also love the idea of parents reading and learning with their children, even and especially at the high school level. Often times, busy moms will hand over the books to their high schoolers so they have more time to work with younger children or do other things. I'm all for students gaining independence in their upper level studies. However, completely handing off everything withholds a great opportunity from parents to connect with their teens. If you've ever had a cranky child, there's nothing like putting distractions aside and snuggling up together with a good book. It is no different at the high school level. Reading together quite often builds relationships. It gives you a different focus rather than stewing over bad attitudes. Then once you have your child's heart, it's much easier to develop positive character that offsets the negative. Reading alongside your kids helps you stay connected while fostering independence. 

Another bonus of parents participating in the high school community is "schole" and "mother culture". Mystie Winckler defines schole in this post and links to some wonderful video lectures of Dr. Christopher Perrin explaining schole. Mother culture, a phrase linked to Charlotte Mason, is the habit of reading for mothers. LindaFay has an excellent post here explaining the origin of mother culture and why it's so important. 

We must value education enough to pursue it ourselves. If we want our kids to be life long learners than we must model this attitude. In time, the attitude we portray in the atmosphere of our home and the knowledge we acquire in this pursuit will greatly benefit our children and others around us in their aspirations of truth, beauty, and goodness. I liken the aim for schole and mother culture reading to filling a cup. One cannot pour from that which is empty. We must refill in order to pour out. It is important for us to value education enough to desire to continue striving for it ourselves. Not only will we personally reap the benefits, but so will all those around us.

We do not plan to grade high school community work within the community. However, since we are doing academic related work, parents are free to grade individually and use time spent toward high school credit. I did not want this group to be added on to what people were already doing at home, but rather a compliment to it. It shouldn't be a dreadful burden, but an aid to their existing high school plan.  

After our initial meeting, I created a survey of the ideas presented there and sent it to all interested parties. The survey included questions regarding subjects to be taught, volunteers to teach those subjects, frequency of meeting, and dates/times/locations of meeting. It also included questions about younger siblings and who was willing to entertain them while the high school community met. There were ten families that took the survey. I then sorted the survey responses and shared results with all interested parties, highlighting majority responses and offering suggestions on how to proceed. We hashed out a few details by e-mail and I asked for a more formal commitment. Unfortunately, a few families were not able to make it work due to scheduling conflicts and a few were not ready to make a regular bi-weekly commitment. However, there were a handful of families still interested. 

Those interested parents met last night to finalize the details. We currently have a group of four families with five students, 3 boys, 2 girls committed to joining, and the possibility of three additional students from three more families (2 boys, 1 girl) still considering it. I did create a deadline for them to decide so we can advance with ordering our materials. Subjects, leaders, and meeting dates have been set!

We will meet bi-weekly on Fridays for twelve weeks from September to November. We will take a break in December and resume in January, meeting bi-weekly over the course of twelve more weeks through the end of March. We are anticipating approx. 2 to 2 1/2 hours of time will be needed for each meeting, with possibly up to 3 hours the first meeting so we can include introductions. Together we will study Literature and Composition, Shakespeare, Recitation, and Current Events. 

Literature with a Composition component 

I will facilitate student learning through the five titles pictured above using the Teaching the Classics/Socratic method of discussion. The students will be expected to read on their own and also research assigned online sources. With each book, we will look at an author bio and historical context, as well as related music, art, and poetry from the time period. I will also assign writing projects to be worked on independently at home based on the Excellence in Literature - American Literature modules by Janice Campbell. In addition, each student will keep a commonplace book to copy passages that interest them as they read.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Rip Van Winkle & The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Shakespeare

Another mom will lead the students through the study of Oxford School Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream. They will read/discuss a retelling such as Lamb's Tales in order to understand the play/plot for the first class. After which, they will read the original work together, breaking up parts and reading subsequently one act per class. We will pick a second play at a later date for the second term. 

Recitation 

Each student will pick a passage/poem of at least six stanzas to memorize throughout the first 12 weeks of class. The lead mom is drawing from The Harp and Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist, but the students are free to use poetry resources they have at home or can find online. The goal is to memorize and recite at least one new stanza at each class so by the end of the term, each student can recite a full poem at least six stanzas in length. The students are welcome to recite longer poems if they'd like, but they can be no shorter than six stanzas.

Current Events

We are basing this subject off the Ambleside Online suggestion for current events. Each student will keep a journal/notebook of current events that interest them, listing 1-2 per week or 2-4 per class. For example, they would write, "This Week in History, September 7, 2018" and then give a short synopsis/summary (narration) in their own words in the notebook of the event to share in class. They should also cite their source. Maybe they want to track a major development over the course of several weeks or maybe they want to choose different events each week. It is at the family's discretion. AO has provided a list of possible current event sources that students can draw from or they are welcome to use personal family favorite sources if they have them.

Originally, the survey indicated the subject of Debate as a favorite, but as time went on no one stepped up to lead it, so it has since been dropped. That's not to say we can't add it in the future, but for now it feels like we have a solid start on this community with the four planned subjects.

My dream of a low or no cost high school community with parent participation is now becoming a reality. I am very excited! I think this high school community will be an excellent opportunity for our students to socialize in a constructive and fun atmosphere while learning alongside parent mentors. It will also be a great occasion for parents home educating through high school to connect and support one another. I pray that it's a win/win for everyone involved. 

Summer Mother Culture and Schole....

I realized I've been diligently working through reading my summer Mother Culture/Schole list of books, but haven't shared it with you. So, without further adieu, here you have it...

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - We have tickets to the Broadway Musical in December! I have never attended the musical, or watched the movie for that matter, so I thought it would be fun to read the book before attending. Earlier this spring, I re-assembled my Summer Schole Sisters reading group from two years ago and Les Mis it is. Being five volumes, it's a huge book! We plan to meet every couple of weeks to discuss one volume. We already met to discuss Vol. 1, Fantine, which was incredible! Next week, we will meet to discuss Vol. 2, Cosette. I can't wait! It's so delightful to have a group of friends to read and discuss with. I really do recommend finding your sister(s)!

The Liberal Arts Tradition by Clark and Jain - You may remember this book being on my Mother Culture list a couple of years ago. Sadly, I never made it through. However, my CM Study Group decided to pick it up this spring and now we are already nearing the end, with only one section left. I do plan to post a series of blogs, sharing my notes later this summer on The Liberal Arts Tradition. We've had great discussion!

Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley - This is a book I had scheduled for Riley in her third term. We both started, but didn't get through it so we vowed to finish this summer.

Vol. 1, Home Education & Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason - My CM Study group also read and discussed both of these volumes in the past. However, I will be returning to them this summer as I look ahead to our 2018-2019 academic year planning. Oh, and I still need to finish blogging through Vol. 1....ahem!

What books are you reading this summer to re-fill your mama cup? Feel free to share in the comments below...

Schole Sisters: The Grapes of Wrath....

The people came out of their houses and smelled the hot stinging air and covered their noses from it. And the children came out of the house, but they did not run or shout as they would have done after a rain. Men stood by their fences and looked at the ruined corn, drying fast now, only a little green showing through the film of dust. The men were silent and they did not move often. And the women came out of the houses to stand beside their men - to feel whether this time the men would break. The women studied the men's faces secretly, for the corn could go, as long as something else remained. The children stood near by, drawing figures in the dust with bare toes, and the children sent exploring senses out to see whether men and women would break. The children peeked at the faces of the men and women, and then drew careful lines in the dust with their toes. Horses came to the watering toughs and nuzzled the water to clear the surface dust. After a while the faces of the watching men lost their bemused perplexity and became hard and angry and resistant. Then the women knew that they were safe and there was no break. Then they asked, What'll we do? And the men replied, I don't know. But it was all right. The women knew it was all right, and the watching children knew it was all right. Women and children knew deep in themselves that no misfortune was too great to bear if their men were whole. The women went into the houses to their work, and the children began to play, but cautiously at first. As the day went forward the sun became less red. It flared down on the dust-blanketed land. The men sat in the doorways of their houses; their hands were busy with sticks and little rocks. The men sat still - thinking - figuring.  (The Grapes of Wrath, p. 6-7)

So ends Chapter One of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.  Women watching their husbands and children watching their parents, Steinbeck writes something to this same effect several times throughout the story.  Is this part of our relational nature?  We wait and watch for the reaction of others...not just others, but loved others, anticipating their reaction so we know how to react or what our future holds.  I was very intrigued by this notion.  Ironically, in the end, Ma Joad takes charge and acts more the head of household than any man in the story.  Ma Joad leads the family through cooperation and unity rather than a more typical seat of male authority and control.  When the men get down, she lights fires to keep them alive and going....

Take a man, he can get worried an' worried, an' it eats out his liver, an' purty soon he'll jus' lay down and die with his heart et out.  But if you can take an' make im' mad, why, he'll be awright. Pa, he didn' say nothin', but he's mad cow.  He'll show me now.  He's awright. (Ma Joad, The Grapes of Wrath, p. 481)

The Grapes of Wrath was our most recent Schole Sisters read.  It was controversial to the group.  As a matter of fact, five women started and chose not to finish.  Six women finished, most with some reluctance.   However, the debate over whether The Grapes of Wrath is an important piece of American Literature or crude propaganda is not a new debate.  This Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner has outraged since it was originally written in 1939.  It was the best selling book of 1939 and yet this most widely read novel was also publicly banned and burned.  Interestingly, Steinbeck accomplished exactly what he set out to do...

I am not writing a satisfying story....I've done my damndest to rip a reader's nerves to rags.  (John Steinbeck in a 1939 interview with Pascal Covici)

Steinbeck's epic is set during the Great Depression.  It follows the migration of the Joad family, Oklahoma tenant farmers displaced by foreclosure during the Dust Bowl.  Throughout the novel, the reader travels with the Joads through several states and hardships on their journey to California, where they hope to find work and begin life anew.  However, upon their arrival, the Joads find several workers available for every job posted.  With little work and virtually no money, they wander around like the Israelites searching for the so called "promised land".

There are several biblical parallels in The Grapes of Wrath, much to the chagrin of my Schole Sisters, who also happen to be Christians.  Most in the group couldn't get past numerous profanities, including freely using our Lord's name in vain, and crude sexual discussions, including a preacher confessing to taking sexual advantage of his followers when they were "full of the speret", to see the parallels, especially after one member shared some of Steinbeck's political views.  On the other hand, I was intrigued by his use of biblical symbolism, particularly for a man who resisted doctrine throughout his life, beginning at a young age.

I was first introduced to Steinbeck through The Grapes of Wrath in my high school English class and since have read other Steinbeck novels including East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row, and Tortilla Flat.  Each of which has a sort of spiritual quality for lack of better term.  There are many biblical references in Steinbeck's characters, titles of his books, and his passion for the underdog. You can almost see him wrestling with his faith throughout his writing.  Please don't get me wrong, The Grapes of Wrath is not a Christian novel.  I just so happen to find Steinbeck's biblical parallels interesting in what appears to be his humanist view point.

As mentioned, The Grapes of Wrath was assigned reading in my high school English class, as is common.  I was now anxious to re-read the story through adult eyes.  In the beginning, I was seriously questioning whether or not this was an appropriate title for high school reading.  Upon completion, I have decided there is definite value in Steinbeck's novel.  Overall, I would categorize The Grapes of Wrath, along with Uncle Tom's Cabin and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as great American literature.  It is for that reason, I would recommend reading The Grapes of Wrath potentially in the very late high school years (11th or 12th grade).  However, it's a book I find imperative to read and discuss along with your student.

Steinbeck actually toured the Dust Bowl ravished region and traveled with migrants to California in his research shortly before writing The Grapes of Wrath.  Whether you agree or disagree with his Worldview, I believe there is importance in understanding that period of time in the history of our nation as well as the many cultural references found in the book.

In spite of the criticism of my Schole Sisters, I really enjoyed reading The Grapes of Wrath with them.  We plan to continue with another title in the future, possibly something by C. S. Lewis.  For now we will break for the next couple of months as I continue to facilitate a Middle School Socratic Book Club and our Charlotte Mason study group, in which we're reading Consider This, Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass, in addition to homeschooling and the many other tasks of motherhood.... so many great books, so little time.  Ironically, several of my Schole Sisters are also my Charlotte Mason cohorts :)

I am linking The Grapes of Wrath to the 2016 Back to the Classics Challenge in the Re-Read a Classic from School category.

Schole Sisters: Anna Karenina...

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way...So begins Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. My Schole Sisters and I finished reading this 817 page Russian classic and met for our final discussion last night.

Throughout my reading of Anna Karenina, many people, who were not in our group, asked me, "What is that book about?" and the best way I could sum it up was, "Anna Karenina is about life."  It's about families and relationships.  It's a story of love and the lack thereof.   It's about a woman, Anna, who is physically beautiful on the exterior, but lives with an ugly, raging internal storm.  She is married and has a wonderful son, whom she adores.  She has wealth, class and high ranking social status.  Yet, she fights loneliness, jealousy, and feelings of emptiness to the point of her self-destructive demise.

In stark contrast, Anna Karenina, is also a story of hope, forgiveness, and survival.  Through the character of Levin, Tolstoy ponders the meaning of life.  We see him wrestling with this idea of faith, whether or not there is a God, and what that really means.  Interestingly, some of the women in our group thought the book was wrongly titled since the story was more about Levin then Anna.

Lastly, Anna Karenina is about the transformation of Russia during the late 1800's.  During that time, Tolstoy's native country was undergoing a huge political shift.  Through Anna Karenina, we see the debate between the aristocratic society and the agricultural peasants.  By the time of Tolstoy's death in 1910, Russia had transformed from a backward agricultural economy into a major industrialized world power.  Tolstory shows us his Russia and some of his possible uncertainty about the future of his country.

Tolstoy was a master storyteller.  His character development was unlike any I've read.  We all knew the events unfolding in Anna Karenina were so morally wrong by Christian standards and yet, everyone of us agreed that we could totally see and understand each character's thought process throughout.  I personally saw parts of myself and various relationships with others in each and every character.  Tolstoy's ability to think like a woman is unbelievable.  Overall, his character development was phenomenal!

Regarding our Schole Sisters group, over a period of two months, we met a total of four times to discuss Anna Karenina.  We ended with ten strong participants who desire to continue.  We all loved the fellowship and camaraderie the group afforded us.  It was a chance to read our own book, not to the children or school related, and have meaningful discussion with other adults.  It was decided we will continue in August by reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and meeting for discussion.  I'm super excited to read through my book list with friends :)

Anna Karenina made a lasting impression on me.  My copy is marked with many tabs and I'm sure I'll be quoting and referencing it for some time.  I am also using Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy as my classic in translation in the 2016 Back to the Classics Challenge.  

Schole Sisters: How I Started a Group...

Schole, it seems to be the buzz word around certain blogging circles.  According to Dictionary.com, schole is the Greek root of school, meaning leisure employed in learning.  Dr. Christopher Perrin says schole is the ability to rest and contemplate.  He wrote a two part series on Recovering Leisure in Education, which includes a video presentation of a lecture he gave in regard to the book Leisure, The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper.  I have not read the book, but have spent countless hours researching and listening to podcasts on schole around the web, one of my favorite sites being the Schole Sisters website, which began back in 2015.  It was there I first learned about schole.

At that time, I was already leading a Charlotte Mason 20 Principles study in my area, but knew it would eventually come to an end.  I loved our group and the energy I felt after meeting.  Although the 20 Principles study would end, I didn't want to loose the camaraderie and charge of the women in our study.  I printed the How to Start a Schole Sisters Group guide and toward the end of our Principle study, I presented the idea of continuing our group in the form of a Schole Sisters group for summer.  The idea was well received.

A Schole Sisters group doesn't just talk about how homeschooling is going.  These "sisters" do schole.  They give themselves ample time in a beautiful setting (with some good food and drink) to discuss great literature and art, they may play music, sing, recite poetry.  They learn from one another and are restored and enlivened by the engagement of truth, goodness, and beauty. (How to Start a Schole Sisters Group, pg. 6)

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy was on my want to read list for some time.  It's a big book!...and I thought it would be fun to read with friends, not only for accountability, but for leisurely discussion and contemplation.  Again, I presented the idea and it was decided that our new Schole Sisters group would begin by reading and studying Tolstoy's classic.

From there, I posted on a local homeschool forum this idea of schole, reading Anna Karenina together, and then meeting for discussion.  I received an overwhelming response from nearly 20 women showing interest.  I was so excited to see the diversity of interested moms.  These were not women that hung together in any certain circle, but a good scattering of women from a variety of circles.

Next, I looked at logistics including the potential size of the group and proximity of where interested parties resided.  I wanted a relaxing, neutral location for our meetings with easy access for all participants.  We also needed to decide on a date for our first meeting, which was the biggest challenge with a group of busy moms this size.  Once I had our interested persons list, I sent a direct e-mail to each mom with a request to rate a list of possible dates, times, and locations.  In all fairness, because of the potential size of the group, it had to be a majority rules type of situation.

Once settling on a date and location, I not only e-mailed original interested parties, but also posted an update on the local forum opening the invitation to everyone because I knew some moms were unable to commit without an exact date and location.

Friday, May 27th, we held our first Schole Sisters meeting at a local restaurant and discussed Part I & II of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  Nine women attended and it was delightful!  In advance, I did a bit of research online and printed study questions to use as the basis for our discussion.  Of course, not all moms were able to attend, but they still wanted to be kept in the loop for future meetings.  Therefore, after our initial meeting, I sent a follow-up e-mail to all original interested parties with links to background information and questions discussed.  I also included our mutually agreed upon assigned reading and future meeting date, time, and location.  Thus our Schole Sisters group was born.

Now, I don't want to give the impression that there is any one right way to begin a Schole Sisters group.  This is simply what worked for me.  Even if you are in a remote area or don't have a large pod of homeschoolers to pull from, I believe you can still create schole.  It could be as simple as finding one other person in the flesh or online, with which you can read and discuss a book.  Some other ideas may be finding a friend to tour a local art exhibit, an orchard, or a winery with.  You might attend a symphony, a play or host a movie night.  Maybe you want to take a drawing or pottery class.  How about a nature study walk?  You see, I believe there are countless ways to go about schole.  The only right way is to just do it!

Mother Culture and Summer Schole, My Reading List...

..."I always keep three books going--a stiff book, a moderately easy book, and a novel, and I always take up the one I feel fit for!" That is the secret; always have something "going" to grow by. If we mothers were all "growing" there would be less going astray among our boys, less separation in mind from our girls. ---The Parents' Review, Mother Culture, 1892/93

With the coming of Memorial Weekend, I thought I'd unveil my summer reading list.  I'm not sure I'll make it through the entire list, but these are books I plan to draw from this summer in my quest for Mother Culture.

Novels  

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - After finishing our Charlotte Mason 20 Principle Study, our group wanted to continue to meet so I presented the idea of starting a Schole Sisters group for summer.  The idea was well received and it was decided we would start by reading Tolstoy's novel.  We are currently reading Part I and II and will meet for our first discussion Friday night.  I'll keep you posted :)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - I've chosen this book as my "Re-read a classic you read for school" in the 2016 Back to the Classics Challenge.  I first read it over twenty-five years ago for my high school English class.  Steinbeck is a favorite author of mine and I can't wait to re-read The Grapes of Wrath through adult eyes.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - The kids and I started this book a few months back, but unfortunately, life took over and we're only about half way through.   It's a great novel and I aim to finish it soon.

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry - This book has been on my radar for some time, but I have yet to obtain a copy.  When Andrew Kern suggested I read it, I moved it closer to the top of my to-be-read list.  Maybe this will be the summer for completion.

Academic

The Liberal Arts Tradition by Ravi Jain and Kevin Clark - I purchased this book last year, skimmed through it, and set it aside where it continues to lay on the nightstand by my bed.  A local friend and Charlotte Mason educating mother recently told me it was on her reading list as well so we decided to read it together, having discussion by e-mail.  I'm very excited to find a study buddy.  Assembling a book study group doesn't have to be a major production.  It can be as simple as finding one like-minded friend to bounce ideas with.

Consider This by Karen Glass - Here's another book I ordered and began over a year ago, but didn't finish.  Our CM Study Group is contemplating this as our next read so I will wait until that decision is made before beginning.  Either way, I aim to finish it this year!

Home Education by Charlotte Mason - Since finishing A Philosophy of Education, I've wanted to begin another of Charlotte's volumes.  I've been trying to decide between Home Education and School Education since I have children at both levels.  I think I will go with the first because sequentially it makes sense.

Simply Charlotte Mason Presents Enjoying the Early Years - I realize this is not a book but a DVD.  However, since I'm watching it this summer to learn more about teaching our preschooler, I'm including it here.  I've skimmed the book in the past, but recently bought the DVD at the Great Homeschool Convention in Ohio.  I'm looking forward to approaching the early years in a more Charlotte Mason like way.

There are other books on my list as well including read-alouds for the kids and pre-reading for the kids' upcoming school year.  However, those books I view differently than Mother Culture so I will not include them here.

What are you reading this summer?  Please share in the comments below....